An episode of religious intolerance in the United States — the burning of a copy of the Qur’an — has provoked a new wave of religious violence in Afghanistan.

A Florida pastor and his congregation burned a Qur’an recently, outraging Muslims around the world when the news of the burning went global. Crowds in Afghanistan have targeted vulnerable aid workers who are perceived to be Western, apparently in direct retaliation for the book burning.

The New York Times covers these episodes of intolerance and violence. Graduate students from HIST 640 Religious Violence in Comparative Perspective last semester will be interested in this story.